Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body. Exercise is utilized to improve health and maintain fitness and is also important as a means of physical rehabilitation.
Exercise is useful in preventing or treating coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, weakness, diabetes, obesity and depression. Range of motion is one aspect of exercise, which is important for increasing or maintaining joint function. Strengthening exercises impart resistance to the muscles, increasing endurance and strength. Cardiac rehabilitation exercises may be developed and individualized for rehabilitation purposes or to prevent cardiac disorders and diseases. A well-balanced exercise program can improve general health, build endurance and delay many of the effects of aging. The benefits of exercise include not only improvement in physical health but also enhancement of an exerciser's emotional well being.
Exercise further helps improve symptoms related to fatigue, distress, cognitive problems and mental health functioning. The American Heart Association has released a statement, which indicates that exercise is beneficial even for patients awaiting heart transplants. A recent study has shown that women who participate in strenuous physical activity over a number of years may reduce their risk of breast cancer. Additionally, research has shown that men and women aged 40 to 50 who exercise moderately for 60 to 90 minutes a day are less likely to catch a cold than their more sedentary counterparts.
Resistance training is a form of strength training exercise in which effort is exerted against resistance (i.e. resistance to being pushed, squeezed, stretched or bent). Resistance to movement may be exerted against a muscle or a muscle group by an opposing muscle or muscle group, by gravity or by an elastic band or bands. There are two basic types of resistance exercises: isotonic resistance exercises and isometric resistance exercises. Isotonic resistance exercises are those in which a body part moves against resistance, whereas isometric resistance exercises are those in which a body part remains still as it maintains static force against resistance. Both isotonic and isometric resistance exercises may be used to develop the strength and size of skeletal muscles. Properly performed, resistance training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well being.
A variety of exercise devices, which include straps and hand grips and can be secured to a structure such as a door or pole for use are known in the art. One conventional exercise device of this type includes an inelastic adjustable length member with two arms and a grip at both ends. A centrally located anchor facilitates distribution of the length between the arms. In one embodiment, the exercise device is compact and can be removably attached to a doorframe. When user grabs the grips and uniformly pulls away from the anchor, the arms of the device center on the anchor. However, since the device includes a single, elongated strap that extends through the anchor, unexpected movements of the strap may occur while the user is holding his or her body weight with the straps during an exercise. These unexpected movements of the strap may potentially result in muscle tear.
Also known is an exercise device for use with a door, comprising a flat, flexible strap, a pair of hand grips attached to opposite ends of the flat, flexible strap, and an anchor attached to the flat, flexible strap midway between the hand grips and extending laterally from opposite sides of the strap for engagement with the door with the flat, flexible strap passing between an edge of the door and the adjacent jamb, and the anchor and the hand grips being positioned on opposite sides of the door.
Another conventional exercise device includes a pair of handles that are connected to an elastic cord. A loop strap is provided at the approximate midpoint of the length of the elastic cord. The loop strap is interposed between a door and a doorjamb with the loop strap being mounted on the doorknob of the door. A user grips the handles and applies resistance against the elastic cord to strengthen the muscles in the user's arms.
Another conventional exercise device is adapted for connection to at least one structural component of a building to provide a framework for kinesthetic exercises. The structural component defines multiple fixable locations for connection of various kinesthetic exercising apparatuses in arrangements, which are suitable for a variety of kinesthetic exercises. The device further includes mechanisms for quick releasable and replaceable coupling of an exercise apparatus in a freely rotatable manner to accommodate a wide range of body motions.
Another conventional exercise device is portable and includes hand grips attached to opposite ends of a cable, which is trained over a pulley for reciprocation during an exercise. Straps are attached to opposite ends of a second cable trained over a pulley and are adapted to receive the feet of a user for reciprocation during exercise.
Another conventional exercise device includes several interchangeable parts and facilitates stretching and strengthening of the upper and lower torso. The exercise device also utilizes a common door and doorframe, allowing for simplicity and generality of use. The device includes an adjustable hook and loop strap for ease of attachment to the ankle, wrist, or foot of the user as well as configurable handles to accommodate double or single-handed use. In use, the device is anchored to a common door and doorframe using a rod and cloth strap. The rod is fixedly and removably placed behind the closed door. A variety of upper and lower torso stretching exercises can be carried out by wrapping the strap around the user's ankle, wrist or foot and guiding or stretching the body portion with a free hand or hands which is/are attached to the strap via a rope. Similarly, strengthening exercises can be carried out by using elastic tubing to provide resistance for the appropriate body portion.
Another conventional exercise device includes a chest expander having a first handle at one end, second and third handles at an opposite end and multiple elastic cord members detachably connected between the first handle and the second and third handles. A coupling belt is secured to the first handle using hook and loop fasteners. A transverse bar is inserted through respective loops at the two distal ends of the coupling belt. The transverse bar is adapted to secure the exercise device to a top or bottom door gap and enables the user to pull the second and third handles to exercise the muscles of the arms.
Although the above-described exercise devices and methods address some of the needs of the exercise device market, an exercise device including inextensible straps attached through rings to a single holder is still desired.